brooklyn & emerson: 9 month update

Just a few weeks late, but I had to get this 9 month update in. Enjoy!

Emerson Faith

Oh Emerson Faith, what in the world am I going to do with you? This month you developed a severe case of Mommyitis, making it quite difficult to do just about anything without you trying to climb up my leg or wanting to be held alllll the time. You get very upset when I leave the room. You hate being alone. I’ll take it though, even though I feel badly for your sister who doesn’t get nearly enough Mama time because of it.

Speaking of that whole climbing thing, you want to climb all the things. Your favorite thing to climb up on is your walker, but we have to make sure it’s secure against another surface or else you go flying and fall. You could care less if your sister was playing there first – because she can’t (or won’t – the jury is still out on that) climb up yet, you’ll push her out of the way and gleefully hop up and down to the tunes the walker plays. She is not impressed by that, Miss Emerson.

You are either really happy these days or really angry. You love it when your girl pal Aubrey is over, and you will happily try to follow her around the entire time. She loves it, of course, and says “she loves me” about a zillion times a day. You love it when music is playing, and it’s so funny to watch your head bop to the beat and watch your legs start kicking. Then all of a sudden you’ll get a good laugh going. It’s the cutest.

Do you know what else is really cute? Your fake cry. Oh yes, missy. I’ve got you pegged already. I know the difference between those crocodile tears and the real ones. Your fake cry does not produce any tears, and you also throw a fake cough into the mix as well. Your flair for the dramatics is quite amusing, even though I know it will soon be a full on temper tantrum. I can already see you throwing yourself down on the grocery store floor…. And I can also see myself walking right away. It will be for your own good, I promise.

You love to eat, which is nothing new. Despite the lack of teeth (Still! Where are your chompers hiding?), you have no problem chomping down and gumming all of the food I give you. Your favorites these days are peas, blueberries, avocado, cottage cheese, oatmeal, and puffs. The other day you had plenty of food on your plate, but kept grunting and moaning. I finally figured out it was because you wanted more peas. You were happy as a clam the second I refilled your plate with them. You still put back about 24-26 ounces a day of milk/formula as well. An 8 ounce bottle is not out of the norm in the morning when you first wake up. You don’t mess around when it comes to your food as shown by your solid 20 pounds 3 ounces that you weighed in at the doctor last week!

This month you learned how to wave, and it has to be the cutest thing ever. I only have to flail my arms like a fool and say “hi” about a thousand times to get you to respond. I’ll look like a fool any day for you. One of your favorite times of the day is when your daddy comes home. If he even THINKS about walking by you without picking you up, the tears come out – real ones. We have also learned you are afraid of dogs, which is just so funny to me since you have a 60 pound Charlie in your face all the live long day. You think he is hilarious, and could care less if he steps over you, sniffs at your diaper, or gives you a sloppy kiss (yuck – I try to avoid that one for your sake).

You, my once horrible sleeper, have become a rock star. Two naps a day around 1.5-2 hours each, and a solid 11-12 hours of sleep at night. You are much happier when you get the sleep you need, which makes for a much happier household. I’m already thinking about how in the world I am going to take your pacifier from you soon. ::sigh:: You love pacifiers so much, and it’s not out of the ordinary for you to try to steal your sister’s and stick BOTH of them in your mouth at the same time. You crack me up, little one. I love you so much Drama Queen!

Brooklyn Grace

You crack me up baby girl. You are probably the most content little girl in the entire world – unless you’re mad. Then you’re REALLY mad… you have a strong personality, that’s for sure. Your goofy grins and raspberries keep me in stitches. You think you’re quite possibly the funniest person in the entire world, second to your sister and your girlfriend Aubrey. It’s not uncommon for you to be in your car seat or in your crib and to hear you laugh and laugh to yourself about God knows what. I can’t wait to know what’s going on in that little head of yours.

You’re long and lean, that’s for sure. When we went to the doctor last week, you weighed in at 19 pounds 3 ounces, and you were 27.25 inches long. 30% for height and around 50-60% for weight. You have exactly two rolls on each one of your little thighs, and I think they’re adorable. You sure do love your bottles – you still put back four 6 ounce bottles a day (sometimes one of them is 8 ounces if you are super hungry), but you could take or leave actual food…. Unless we are spoon feeding you. I am imagining three years down the road that you will have your sister fanning you and feeding you grapes while you lay around like the Queen of the Nile. Your favorite foods right now include peas, any sort of bean, yogurt, puffs, and oatmeal. You also like broccoli, and you tried pulled chicken, ground beef, tomatoes, corn tortillas, and cheese this month. Purees are a thing of the past – you want real food!

This past month you learned the art of kisses – wet, sloppy, and tongue out. You better learn to close that mouth before you get your first boyfriend, Party Girl. Although you used to be my mover and shaker, you have turned into being perfectly content to sit in one spot and not move. You know how to go from a sit to a crawl, but it is rare that you are motivated enough to do it. Instead, you would much rather grunt to get someone to help you do it. The same goes for crawling. Move my arms and legs at the same time to get to another location? Meh, you’d rather not. You’ll scoot here and there but for the most part you’re set. I am convinced that one day you are just going to get up and full on sprint and never ever stop. You show that laissez-faire attitude when your sister constantly takes your toys and pacifier. You never put up much of a fight, and only occasionally do you let out a squawk that she took something from you.

That hair of yours is out of control. Bows, clips, ponytails – I need all forms to tame it. I often have to wet it in the morning too as you wake up with a serious case of bed head most days.

This past month you had a first – a double ear infection. I knew when you weren’t acting normally that something was off. Thankfully a quick trip the doctor and some medicine helped you feel better. And boy do you like to take your medicine. Let’s hope it stays that way.

You are such an observer. You are constantly taking in your surroundings and checking everything out. You don’t talk too much, but when you do, it has a purpose – typically to make others laugh. You are more than happy to play by yourself all day long, and you rarely need any intervention from mom or dad. I completely take advantage of the rare occasion you want to cuddle, especially if it’s in the middle of the night. You cozy right up on me and snuggle right onto my chest, and you quickly fall asleep. Those are some of my favorite moments with you.

You keep changing, and just when I think I have you down, you’ve changed again. I love you so much Cheeser Girl!